2014

25 September 2014

Local Assembly Member Paul Davies has criticised the Health Minister, following new figures that reveal the Welsh Government has missed its ambulance response time target again. In Pembrokeshire, response time statistics for Category A calls still show Pembrokeshire below the Wales target of 65%. Indeed those figures showed that 272 people waited more than 8 minutes for an ambulance and 107 people waited more than 15 minutes for an ambulance in potentially life-threatening circumstances.

Speaking from the Senedd Mr Davies said, "I'm disappointed that once again figures have shown that people across Pembrokeshire are waiting too long for an ambulance in a Category A emergency. It's essential that patients and their families have the confidence that in an emergency, they can dial 999 and receive a very swift response, but sadly, as we hear time and time again, this is simply not the case. It's particularly worrying that targets have not been met during a largely warm, dry summer - these figures do not bode well for the winter months ahead."

24 September 2014

Preseli Pembrokeshire Assembly Member, Paul Davies has expressed his concern at the latest news that the Welsh Government is set to miss its target for all dogs in Wales to be microchipped by March 2015. In a recent statement the Deputy Minister for Farming and Food has made it clear that "the previously stated date of 1 March 2015, by which all dogs in Wales should be microchipped, is unlikely to be achieved.

Mr Davies said, "I'm disappointed that the Welsh Government continues to be dragging its feet on this very important issue. There have been calls for some time to address this issue and it's frustrating to see that the Welsh Government has not taken this matter seriously."

Local Assembly Member Paul Davies has welcomed the latest campaign by Royal Mail and Trading Standards to tackle scam mail. The two organisations are improving processes for cancelling the contracts of companies that send fraudulent mail and training postmen and women to report scam mail.

Mr Davies said, "I'm pleased that Royal Mail and Trading Standards are joining forces to tackle this very serious issue. Sadly, more than 2,500 scams were reported to Trading Standards in Wales between February 2012 and February 2013 and the very sad fact is that any one of us could fall for a scam, but it is the elderly who are often targeted and are susceptible to being cheated. In areas like Pembrokeshire, where there is a high proportion of elderly residents, victims are often socially isolated, over-trusting and in some cases affected by illnesses such as dementia.

22 September 2014

Local Assembly Member Paul Davies has visited the local charity, HOPE in Neyland, to meet with staff and volunteers who are supporting people with multiple sclerosis and other disorders in Pembrokeshire. The centre offers Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Physiotherapy and other therapies to help patients with multiple sclerosis and motor neurone disease, as well as those recovering from strokes.

19 September 2014

Local Assembly Member Paul Davies is supporting calls for a Keogh-style review of the health service, right across Wales to address the very real concerns of clinicians and see structures put in place to protect communities. The BMA have backed these calls and are joined by Labour's Ann Clwyd, the north Wales patients watchdog, the Royal College of Surgeons and the College of Emergency Medicine in either calling for an inquiry or warning of the very real problems in the NHS.

Mr Davies said, "Standards of care within Labour's Welsh NHS have been the subject of worry and concern for many months. Labour's record-breaking NHS budget cuts have heaped immense pressure on frontline services and the First Minister's only answer is to downgrade emergency units and scrap targets. Here in Pembrokeshire we are seeing the downgrading of Withybush hospital, with vital services being centralised at Glangwili.

Preseli Pembrokeshire Assembly Member, Paul Davies is calling for Pembrokeshire to become more dementia friendly, following new figures published by the Alzheimer's Society that show that by 2015, more than 44,000 will be living with dementia in Wales.

Mr Davies said, "We know that at present there are over 1200 people living with dementia in Preseli Pembrokeshire, and while two thirds of people with dementia live in the community, fewer than half feel that they are part of it. People with dementia are affected in different ways and sadly, many feel constrained by the condition and are not confident enough to get out and engage in the area. We all have a responsibility to help create a community where existing services are more inclusive of people with dementia and I hope that in Pembrokeshire, we can create a much more dementia-friendly community."

18 September 2014

Local Assembly Member, Paul Davies has pledged his support for National Eye Health Week, which takes place 22-28 September. National Eye Health Week brings organisations and health professionals from across the UK together to raise awareness of the importance of good eye health and the need for regular sight tests.

Mr Davies said, "I'm delighted to support National Eye Health Week and help promote eye health across Wales. A sight test can detect early signs of conditions like glaucoma, which can be treated if found soon enough. Sadly, over 50 per cent of sight loss can be avoided by people wearing correctly prescribed glasses or having the right treatment at the right time. Therefore, it's essential that we do all that we can to raise awareness of the importance of good eye health."

Labour’s Health Minister this afternoon revealed that he has not yet read a 16 page report, published yesterday by the BMA warning of ‘imminent meltdown’ in the Welsh NHS. The Minister made the revelation under questioning by Paul Davies AM, Deputy Leader of the Welsh Conservative Group, in a scrutiny session of the Assembly’s Health Committee. Paul Davies said, “It is extraordinary that Labour’s Health Minister has not taken even a few minutes in the past 24 hours to thumb through a 16 page report from doctors warning of ‘imminent meltdown’ in the Welsh NHS.“There should be an urgency in the Welsh Government to hear any concerns from frontline clinicians instead of this lazy attitude towards the genuine warnings of NHS doctors.“A cynic might think the Labour Health Minister deliberately ignored the warning by over 7,000 GPs to evade scrutiny for his party’s NHS mismanagement ahead of a key scrutiny committee.”

12 September 2014

Preseli Pembrokeshire Assembly Member, Paul Davies is supporting calls from Diabetes UK to ensure that all people with diabetes in Wales receive the full nine annual health checks from their GPs, as previously recommended by the Assembly's Health and Social Care Committee. Currently, over 6,500 people have diabetes in Pembrokeshire, a figure which has increased by a quarter in the past five years; and the delivery of these checks is patchy across west Wales.

Mr Davies said, "Sadly, not all diabetes patients across west Wales are getting their full annual health checks, which means that they are not receiving the safest and most effective diabetes service. With the number of people with diabetes set to rise, and at a current cost of £500m each year to the Welsh NHS, this is a problem that simply cannot be ignored."

Local Assembly Member, Paul Davies has recently visited Jig-So outreach session in St Dogmaels, to hear more about the support services available to local families. Jig-So was established in 1992 to meet the needs of children from pre-birth to fourteen years of age, and their families, and offers an opportunity for local parents come together. They offer support in a variety of ways, from breastfeeding support groups to parenting programmes.

Following his visit, Mr Davies said, "I was delighted to visit the Jig-So session and to learn more about the programmes on offer to parents. The Jig-So staff do a fantastic job in supporting local parents, in an informal, friendly setting. I was particularly impressed with the range of programmes and workshops that are available, such as first aid course, and even fire safety courses."

09 September 2014

Proposals to build a bypass through Lower Town Fishguard will once again be raised at the Assembly, thanks to local Assembly Member Paul Davies. Following a meeting with local campaigners, Mr Davies pledged to write to the Transport Minister, requesting that the Welsh Government seriously consider the feasibility of a bypass in the area. He will also be writing to Pembrokeshire County Council urging it to support this proposal.

Mr Davies said, "For several years the Fishguard community have suffered with congestion on the road and larger vehicles damaging residential properties – and it's simply not good enough. Fishguard is a significant ferry port, which attracts larger vehicles on a regular basis; and so consideration must be given to how they can access the port through Lower Town without causing traffic problems and damage to local homes."

18 August 2014

Following months of uncertainty, the Welsh Government has confirmed that the additional rail services between Fishguard and Carmarthen will be extended until the end of the current franchise in 2018. Following a review of the pilot service introduced in 2011, the Transport Minister decided that the increased usage by passengers, and the positive effect that businesses have felt, was a strong case to continue funding the services until the end of the franchise.

Commenting on the announcement, local Assembly Member Paul Davies said, "This is fantastic news for Fishguard and Pembrokeshire. Doubts over the future of rail services in the area have caused uncertainty for rail passengers and so I'm pleased that the Minister has looked at the issue carefully and made the right decision."

25 July 2014

The latest delay in the opening of the much needed new Renal Unit at Withybush Hospital has been met with fierce criticism from local Assembly Member, Paul Davies. Building work for the new £7.8 million unit was completed earlier this year, and since then the brand new building has been lying empty.

The Welsh Renal Network that led this project have blamed changes to the original legal contract for the tender, and now it is understood that the earliest the unit could be operational is mid-September.